The levels of engagement in mathematics experienced by students during the middle years of schooling (Years 5 to 8 in New South Wales) has been of concern in Australia for some years. Lowered engagement in school has been attributed to factors such as inappropriate teaching strategies, curricula that is unchallenging and irrelevant, and cultural…

This case study explores students' perceptions of seen examination questions about topics not covered by the formal curriculum of a final-year economics module and of the associated group support sessions. Eight semi-structured interviews with a total of 13 students were analysed. Contrary to expectations, learners taking a strategic approach to…

The National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) 2012 is a national study of nearly 13,000 youth with and without an individualized education program (IEP). These students were chosen to represent all students with and without an IEP in the United States in grades 7 through 12 (or secondary ungraded classes). Among the youth with an IEP are…

The National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) 2012 is a national study of nearly 13,000 youth with and without an individualized education program (IEP). These students were chosen to represent all students with and without an IEP in the United States in grades 7 through 12 (or secondary ungraded classes). Among the youth with an IEP are…

This study examined the effects of the use of a non-linear multimedia presentation model, Prezi, on middle school students' attitude toward learning science, engagement in school science, and the impact on learning science. Prezi was used as the primary instructional model for an intensive six-week intervention period in seventh grade science…

The aim of this experimental study was to find out the potential of using mobile phones in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL), specifically the use of Short Message Service (SMS) as a support tool in the EFL class. The research questions formulated for this project are the following: (1) Is using SMS messages via a mobile phone an…

This paper explores design issues to be considered in adapting the problem-based learning (PBL) for use in the context of East Asian higher education and tests its instructional effectiveness in a Master of Management degree program at a graduate school of business (GSB) in Thailand. The research analyzes course evaluation data obtained from…

Evaluations of online learning environments (OLEs) often present a snapshot of system use. It has been identified in the literature that extended evaluation is required to reveal statistically significant developments in the evolution of system use over time. The research presented here draws on student OLE evaluations surveys run over the period…

It is widely acknowledged that multimodal digital texts support student engagement with ideas, knowledge and new forms of literate practice. With this in mind, an interdisciplinary team at The University of Melbourne collaborated to create a digital resource--"The Venom Patrol" website--to teach scientific concepts about Australia's…

This case study records the voices of a group of young people from an isolated rural community as they reflect on their experiences of secondary school. The study was driven by a desire to develop an understanding of the human connections young people make (or not) at school, to help develop understandings of how schools can be better places for…

Adolescents' emotional engagement plays a critical role in promoting their academic performance as well as overall psychological wellbeing. As a part of a 3-year longitudinal study, this study drew upon self-determination theory to examine three psychological predictors of emotional engagement within specific learning contexts. Ninety-four, low…

Field trips are effective because they situate learning and facilitate knowledge transfer, thereby influencing students learning attitudes, interests, and motivation. Variations in field trip configurations and the subsequent affective and cognitive influences provided the motivation for this study of Outside Day--an environmental education field…

Student engagement at first-year level is critical for student achievement, retention and success. One way of increasing student engagement is to use a classroom response system (CRS), the use of which has been associated with positive educational outcomes by fostering student engagement and by allowing immediate feedback to both students and…

There is a growing concern among academics regarding the poor class attendance patterns of undergraduate students. The reasons why students choose to attend or not attend classes have been investigated from numerous perspectives. Many have sought to explore the relationship between class attendance and academic performance. While there is much…

Teachers have used many different techniques in efforts to augment engagement given the strong engagement-learning link. Teacher-student contact is one of the most effective tools for fostering engagement; however, some teachers find it hard to initiate contact in a way that seems natural. I present one method of initiating student-teacher…